nuke
UK: njuːk | US: nuːk
n. 1. A nuclear weapon.
n. 2. Nuclear energy or power (informal).
vt. 1. To attack or destroy with nuclear weapons.
vt. 2. To microwave food (slang).
"Nuke" is a mid-20th-century abbreviation of "nuclear," originally used in military contexts to refer to atomic weapons. The clipped form "nu-" preserves the core idea of "nuclear," while the "-ke" suffix mimics colloquial shortening patterns (e.g., "bike" from "bicycle"). The slang verb sense (microwaving) humorously equates quick cooking with the destructive speed of nuclear reactions.
The treaty aimed to reduce the number of nukes globally.
Some countries rely heavily on nuke for electricity.
The general threatened to nuke the enemy base.
Just nuke the leftovers for two minutes.
Protesters demanded a ban on nuke testing.